Efforts to protect endangered porpoise increase in dry season

NANCHANG－Despite the temperature of 35 C, a fishery administration vessel set off at 8:30 am from the northern shore of China's largest freshwater lake, Poyang Lake, sailing along the waterway in search of endangered finless porpoises.

The Yangtze finless porpoise is the only freshwater subspecies in the finless porpoise family. The IUCN-listed critically endangered species, only found in parts of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has nearly half of its population living in Poyang Lake.

In January 2020, a 10-year fishing ban went into effect in pivotal waters of the river, which has improved the living conditions of the porpoises as their newborns continue to trickle in.